Mannoroth
thumb|Mannoroth the Destructor Mannoroth the Destructor was a Pit Lord whose ruthlessness and vile cunning made him into one of the favoured lieutenants of his masters, Archimonde and Kil'jaeden, the champions of the Burning Legion. Known as “the Destructor,” Mannoroth was the barbaric leader of the Pit Lords when the dark titan Sargeras subjugated them and bent them to his will. When Archimonde was placed in command of the pit lords, he recognized Mannoroth’s value as a brutal, bloodthirsty fighter and made the pit lord his second-in-command. Mannoroth helped lead the Burning Legion in assaults on countless worlds, and led the first invasion of Azeroth. Mannoroth was a simple being with no overriding ambition to change his station in life. Craving blood and carnage over everything else, he willingly acted as an enforcer for Archimonde and the Burning Legion. His only desire was to wage unending war against the mortal races of the universe. He was a terribly efficient weapon of destruction for the demonlords and could always be found at the forefront of their invasion forces. Mannoroth had forever been cursed with an immeasurable, unending thirst for blood. Even the bloodlust of the orcs was a minor compulsion compared to the absolute addiction that bloodletting was for Mannoroth. In the absence of mortals to fight, Mannoroth often turned on his own demon kin, slaying felhounds and infernals with an unnerving sense of satisfaction. He prefered the kill to the chase, and would quickly slay mortals who were unfortunate enough to stumble upon him. Mannoroth seeked out the most concentrated area of foes and wades into battle. He was not happy unless he was spilling the entrails of his enemies at his feet. When a victim fell, he usually spent an extra attack or two on the victim making sure the target was quite dead. This could be quite messy, which was exactly how Mannoroth liked it. In fact, he could get a bit reckless if foes were not dropping to his massive two-bladed sword at least every attack. Biography War of the Ancients Mannoroth was among the demons entered into Kalimdor during the War of the Ancients. He singlehandedly slaughtered entire regiments of Kaldorei defenders and sowed chaos by unleashing squads of doomguard across the land. Though he battled with brutal ferocity and slaughtered many, he was defeated by Cenarius and his followers and sent back into the Twisting Nether when the Well of Eternity was destroyed. Although his forces were ultimately defeated and forced to flee from Azeroth, Mannoroth was pleased with the level of carnage that he had inflicted. Mannoroth and the orcs In preparation for the Burning Legion’s second invasion of Azeroth, Kil’jaeden dispatched Mannoroth to Draenor. There, twelve clan chieftains of the orc Horde drank from Mannoroth’s blood and fell prey to the curse of bloodlust. Their corruption quickly spread to the rest of the Horde and ultimately led to their ill-fated assault on the human kingdoms on Azeroth. Mannoroth made his mark upon the orcs in Draenor. Many years before the Dark Portal was first formed, Mannoroth, under orders from Kil'jaeden, took part in the plan to put the orcs under the thumb of the Burning Legion. Though he would later say that the orcs were his "by right", it was likely just plain arrogance of his blood pact with the orcs. His own master, Kil'jaeden, could claim rule over the orcs since it was he who discovered them. They would serve as harbingers of chaos, wiping out any potential resistance when the Legion arrived on a world. With the help of Gul'dan, the Blood of Mannoroth was drunk by the chieftains of the clans. They were engulfed by a demonic bloodlust that wiped out the Draenei and damned the orcs forever. However, after the Dark Portal was opened and the orcs engaged the humans over the course of two wars, they were unexpectedly defeated and routed by the humans. The orcs, and in turn, Mannoroth, had failed. Mannoroth, painfully aware of this fact, made plans to have his vengeance. The Third War Kil'jaeden, however, ignored Mannoroth's desires for vengeance, and crafted a new pawn: the Lich King and his Undead Scourge. This Scourge would succeed where the orcs had failed. Finally, Archimonde was summoned by the lich, Kel'Thuzad, to the world of Azeroth. Mannoroth, eager to finally have his revenge on the night elves and the orcs, followed his master. The Nathrezim Dreadlord, Tichondrius, gloated openly that the Scourge (whom he regarded as his in the same way Mannoroth felt about the orcs) had succeeded where the orcs had failed. This only enraged Mannoroth further, and he was infuriated to discover that the orcs had left. Mannoroth and Tichondrius, in pursuit, followed Thrall and the Horde across the sea to Kalimdor. Archimonde reminded Mannoroth, though, that the orcs could still be a useful tool to them. Upon arriving in Kalimdor, Mannoroth sensed the presence of Cenarius, and he worried that the demigod could prove to be a chink in their plans. Tichondrius suggested that perhaps the orcs could be used to destroy Cenarius, for the orc who Mannoroth once corrupted years ago on Draenor, Grom Hellscream, was here, and had incurred the wrath of the demigod. Mannoroth spilled his blood into a fountain of life, defiling it. Hellscream's witch doctors, sensing the power, initially led him to the fountain, but quickly realized it was cursed, and implored Hellscream not to meddle with it. Grom ignored them and corrupted his clan by drinking its waters. Infused with the powers of the Legion, Cenarius was no match for the bloodlust filled Warsong Clan. With the demigod dead, Mannoroth appeared and took full control of Hellscream as the true invasion, the Legion's invasion, of Kalimdor began. Realizing that the remaining Orcs were still a formidable force under the leadership of Thrall, Mannoroth formed a new plan to take him out. Thrall found his former friend Grom had fallen under the sway of the legion and vowed to save him. With the help of Jaina Proudmoore and her expedition, the Orc-Human alliance successfully defeated Hellscream's corrupted clan, captured Hellscream, and purged him of his madness. The taint however, was still within him. Mannoroth's defeat After Thrall reclaimed Hellscream, Mannoroth lured them into the craters formed by the falling infernals, where he hoped to battle them to the death. Thrall confronted the demon lord in battle pouring all his strength and hatred for the demon into one powerful blast with the Doomhammer. Mannoroth applauded the effort and revealed that it had caused no damage. The powerful Mannoroth tossed the young war chief across the crater leaving only Hellscream. Mannoroth reminded Grom that he owned his body and soul and gloated that the blood curse could never be broken. Hellscream then faced the choice between giving into the demon corruption once more or resisting and saving Thrall. Refusing to accept that the Orcs were cursed forever, he chose his kin. In a heroic last stand Grom slipped past Mannoroth’s defenses and sliced open his chest. During the Third War, Mannoroth was slain by his greatest creation and most favored pupil, Grom Hellscream — a fitting irony, some might say. The demonic fires erupted outward, slaying the astonished Mannoroth and mortally wounding Hellscream. With the death of Mannoroth the blood curse on the Orcs was finally lifted. After his defeat, Mannoroth's remains and armor were spirited to Orgrimmar and were attached to a large, irregularly shaped tree. However the large double blade used by the mighty pit lord remains in Ashenvale locked in time to show where the bloodpact was ended. The remains have become a memorial to warn against consorting with demons and celebrating the feat of Grommash Hellscream in finally lifting the blood curse. Memorable quotes *(As Thrall and Grom Hellscream enter the fissure) So predictable... I knew you would come... and I see you brought the mighty Hellscream... his blood, is mine... (Thrall and Grom turn, to be confronted by Mannoroth) As is your whole... misbegotten race! *(To Grom Hellscream) The boy believed you could be saved... But he didn't know, what burns within your soul... when in your heart, you know, we are the same! *"Mannoroth is known for many things. Patience is not among them." (Kil'jaeden describes Mannoroth to Gul'dan and the Shadow Council) Gallery Image:Magtheridon_bc.jpg|The Mannoroth model used in the Warcraft III cinematics, minus wings. Image:Armor_Mannoroth.jpg|The plaque commemorating Mannoroth's defeat. Image:Mannorath6.jpg|Mannoroth as seen in Warcraft III Category:Deceased Category:Game Characters Category:Lore Characters Category:Major Characters Category:Lore Category:Burning Legion Category:Annihilan